3D printed hand project making ‘can do’ possible for those with limb differences
The joyous moment Izabella Carlson received her second 3D printed hand has been captured on video by her mum Kate Carlson.
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Izabella Carlson has even more reason to smile big this week - she has now got three hands.
The three-year-old received her second 3D printed hand - this time in rainbow - from Melbourne engineer Mat Bowtell, who gave up his day job two years to make mobility aides for children with hand differences.
The moment she opened the hand in the mail this week was captured on video by her mum Kate Carlson.
SEE THE VIDEO IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
“She now rides faster than her five-year-old sister,” her mum Kate Carlson said.
“The look on her face, it just melts your heart to know she’s going; ‘Look at me, I can do this’.”
The three-year-old Brisbane girl is one of more than 200 children around the world to receive a free 3D printed hand from a Melbourne engineer, who gave up his day job to make mobility aides
Unlike prothetic limbs that are designed to be worn all day, the 3D hands are billed as tools to let kids try new things.
They have been made for a baby born with a congenital limb difference and couldn’t hold her bottle properly. They’ve allowed kids without fingers to hold a skipping rope, and others to play piano.
Mat Bowtell has even made devices for older adults so they can hold a fishing rod or serve a tennis ball for the first time.
Ms Carlson first wrote to Mr Bowtell, from Free 3D Hands, asking for help for her three-week-old daughter, born without her left hand.
The mechanical engineer had not long started making the devices at night after his two children had gone to bed; first with one printer in the lounge and soon from three on the kitchen table.
She wrote to him again when Izabella was aged two. By this time Mr Bowtell had taken a redundancy from Toyota to start making assistive devices full-time.
Cute kid, he told Ms Carlson again, but she’s still too small.
But it was third time lucky, with Mr Bowtell agreeing to make Izabella a hand — the smallest one they had ever created — so she no longer needed to hook her left arm over the handlebars.
At a recent birthday party, after all the kids were handed bubble sets, Izabella asked for her new hand. It allowed her hold the tube and take part like the rest of the party guests.
“It’s a tiny thing, but for her it makes her feel she can do anything,” Ms Carlson said.
But he won’t take payment for a device.
“That’s how I get my satisfaction,” he said.
“If I sold Izzy the hand for the $10 the materials cost, then it would be worth $10. But to give it away it becomes priceless.
“I don’t believe anyone who needs this sort of technology should have to pay for it.”
The Carlson’s have nominated Free 3D Hands in the $50,000 Dreams for a Better World competition.
If they win, by polling the most community votes, it would allow Mr Bowtell to buy an extra 18 printers and slash their the waiting list of 45 children currently needing for a device.
With Mr Bowtell’s redundancy payment now run out as of last week, the Phillip Island charity is now hoping the corporate sector will support him with donations upon which to draw a wage and continue the work.
They are close to fitting their first version of a $60,000 bionic hand that they have made with $50 of materials.
“This is all about having kids included in activities and gaining confidence in themselves,” he said.
To vote go to: https://dreamsforabetterworld.com.au/vote